Snapshots of a Marriage
by BeWitchingRedhead36
Summary: A MaDi Two shot. It's their 5 year anniversary and Mac plans a photographic scavenger hunt for Dick. As Dick finds the photos Mac has hidden they look back on their relationship and marriage and plan for the future. Rated M just to be safe, a little bit of cussing and perhaps some sexual content at the end. Nothing too graphic though.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Just a little 2 shot of MaDi, scenes from their married life as they celebrate their 5 year anniversary. Mac sets up a pictorial scavenger hunt for Dick. Together they look at photos and remember those little events that brought them where they are today. This idea has been in my head for a while so I decided to share it here. While this is designed as a stand alone piece, I do reference a couple events in my multi-chapter story, One for the Road. And there is another event in here which I plan to include in the sequel (which I haven't written yet). You don't have to have read One for the Road though to read this. But of course if you haven't read that one yet, I hope you will. I'll post the conclusion to this story in a couple of days. Thanks for reading..._**

**_Disclaimer: No, sadly, I still don't own Veronica Mars, that honor belongs entirely to Rob Thomas. I don't own any other product, song, book or game mentioned here either. But being paid for product placement would be nice...  
_**

**Chapter 1—Picture of happiness  
**

**June 2016**

Damn, Mac muttered to no one in particular as a wine glass went crashing to the floor, raining shards of glass all over the kitchen. Dick would be home soon and she had a lot left to do in preparation as it was, but she couldn't just leave the glass there.

Mac let out another curse as she carefully knelt down to pick up the larger pieces of glass, narrowly avoiding cutting herself. She had picked up most of the glass, but went off to the linen closet to get a broom and dust pan to finish the job.

With that task done, she went back to putting the final touches on the vegan Eggplant Parmesan she was making for dinner. She put a sheet of Reynold's wrap over the pan, and put it in the fridge. One more thing she could cross off her to do list.

On this day, 5 years ago she became Mrs. Dick Casablancas to the surprise of everyone except her close friends and family. They had decided to just have a quiet night at home this year. Mac was pleased with the little celebration she'd planned. She would cook a special meal, give Dick his present and then send him on a little photographic treasure hunt.

The idea for the photo hunt had come to her during a conversation with Veronica Mars Echolls of all people. It was just something V had mentioned in passing, nothing really, but the idea it sparked had festered in Mac for months. Veronica had mentioned that each moment in time was like a little snapshot, and good relationships were made up of thousands of these little snapshots. Mac wasn't nearly the photographer (artiste) her friend was, but she thought she could dig up a few remnants from the life she'd been busy building with Dick.

She grabbed the shoe box where they'd pooled together both photos from their respective childhoods and also their life together. Mac, being the more techie minded of the 2, preferred saving digital photos on a flash drive but Dick, it turned out, was a closet sentimentalist. He truly loved photos lying around, actual tangible paper pictures, old school style. She glanced at the top photo and frowned slightly. Dick was probably around 9 and he was holding on to the back of Cassidy's bike, helping his little brother stay upright. Cassidy couldn't have been more than 7 at the time. No, she wouldn't go there tonight. The scavenger hunt would be about their relationship only.

The first few photos she chose were pretty easy, they represented turning points in their early relationship. She didn't have any trouble choosing the last 3 pictures either, they were symbolic of their present and future respectively. The middle several pictures were harder, but once that task was done she felt pretty confident in her selections. Next, it was time to make the clues for Dick to follow. They weren't particularly cleaver, but they would hopefully get the job done. She never pretended to be a poet.

Mac grabbed the dishes and silverware and set the massive table in the formal dining room for the celebratory dinner. She placed an envelope with the first picture under Dick's plate. That would kick off the hunt. Mac also wrote a cryptic clue on the back of the envelope so Dick could hunt down picture number 2.

_**Roses are red, so are apples. Follow this clue, find the next picture.**_

Mac nestled the photo in the giant fruit bowl sitting on the island in the kitchen. On top of the picture, was a sticky note saying:

_**We Used To Be Friends, but now we're that and so much more...**_

That clue referenced _We used to be Friends_, from The Dandy Warhols, of course. They had a storied history with that song. It reminded Mac of her not-so-glory days at Neptune High, but still there was something appealing about the song too. And being one of Dick's favorite songs of all time, he'd insisted it claim a place on their wedding play list. So now the song had eclipsed all bad memories of geekdom at Neptune High and reminded her instead of one of the happiest days of her life, the day she became Mrs. Dick Casablancas. And somewhere, in the back of her mind, Mac thought it was a theme song for some show back when she was in high school, but she couldn't remember the name of it. Oh well, not important, she told herself sternly. She tucked picture number 3 under her iPod dock in the family room.

Mac quickly went around to various other rooms of their big (too big in her opinion) house hiding the other 10 pictures for the hunt. The last photo was placed on their bed, appropriately enough.

With that finished, she glanced at the clock by Dick's side of the bed, it was time to get dinner in the oven. Mac went back downstairs to retrieve the eggplant dish and placed it in the oven to bake.

Finally, all her chores were done. Mac had a little time left before Dick came home, so she stretched out on her aubergine sofa. It was a remnant from her college years, but one she couldn't bear to part with. She considered it her first major adult purchase. Well, first big purchase other than the Beetle convertible she bought in high school with funds she earned by selling results of the purity test online. It was proclivities like that which brought her where she was now, president of her own company, MC2 Software. She wasn't even 30 yet.

Her eyes shut and she was drifting off to sleep when a car pulled into the garage. Moments later Dick strode in. He wandered into the family room and found Mac stretched out on her side. He touched her belly briefly, then leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Hey wifey. Wake up, babe."

Mac's eyes slowly opened. She grinned when she saw her favorite surfer hovering over her. "Hi ya. I must have drifted off. I'm so tired these days."

"Can't imagine why," Dick smirked. "Come on, wifey. Fix me some grub, I'm wasting away here."

"Oh, look at you, turning on that Casablancas charm I love so much. I knew there was a reason I married you."

"Yeah, you love me. And that legendary Casablancas charm you keep talking about"

"Oh, that's right. I do. I think you love me, too."

"Eh, you're alright, I suppose, Mackie." He pulled her off the couch and up into his arms where he showed her just how much he did love her. Mac leaned into Dick, one hand playing with his short blond hair, the other one cupping his butt. Very reluctantly Mac pulled away first.

"Dinner. I don't want it to burn. There's time for more mushy stuff later."

"My ever practical Mackie. Okay, well, I'm holding you to that promise. Mush, lots of mush stuff later."

"Deal. Now, get to work. Open the wine and the sparkling cider."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir?" Mac quirked her brow at Dick.

"We know who wears the pants in casa de Casablancas."

"True."

Mac put on her Ove Glove and removed the Eggplant Parmesan from the oven. Then she took out a carry out container from the fridge and removed a big T-Bone steak for Dick. She plated it up and put it in the microwave to reheat. She made a face while dishing up Dick's steak, she didn't bother hiding how revolting she found meat these days.

Dick was already at the dining room table when Mac came in with the food. She placed the eggplant on a trivet in the center of the table and then placed Dick's steak in front of him.

"Awesome, thanks babe. I'll try some of the eggplant too though."

"You better." Mac took a sip from the glass of sparkling apple cider Dick had placed in front of her. "Yummy. The perfect vintage for Eggplant Parmesan."

Dick laughed. "Yeah, I'm totally jealous. Guess I have to make due with my Pinot Noir. Well, only 4 more months to go, then you can drink wine again."

"Four months to go, you're telling me! What do you mean _**Only**_? **Only**! Talk to me when your bladder is being used for kickball."

Mac was 5 months pregnant with their first child. They had not been trying to have a child per se but they weren't preventing it either. After the initial shock wore off, both parents-to-be were so excited. Mac had had the big ultrasound appointment three weeks before, but they'd asked the tech take a picture of the baby's gender but not to show it to them. Instead the tech had placed that picture in a bright yellow envelope and sealed it. Both Mac and Dick had agreed that they'd wait to find out the baby's gender on their anniversary. That was the picture Mac had placed on their bed earlier, the final one in the hunt.

As they ate their dinner, the talk focused on work, and their friends, just typical meal time chatter. Dick mentioned he'd had lunch with Logan earlier in the day. Veronica and Logan had just had their 2nd child, another little girl, Lynne Mackayla Echolls. Dick was already calling the 3 week old girl Mac, trying to start a trend. To his way of thinking the world needed another Mac.

Finally, dinner was done. Mac didn't think she could eat another bite, even with her increased appetite. She was so thankful the nausea that had plagued her almost the entire first trimester had finally dissipated. "Ready for dessert?"

"I'm stuffed right now, Macster. I think I'll wait a bit. You go ahead though."

"No, I couldn't eat anything more right now either. I actually have another activity planned. I'll clear the dishes and you can look at the surprise I placed under your plate."

"Surprise huh?! I can think of a couple surprises I'd like."

"Yeah? Me too. Like you doing the dishes tonight. That would be a good surprise. Let's do this one little activity first."

"Alright wifey, whatever you want." Dick grinned. Man, he loved that woman. He gave her a gentle slap on her butt as she passed by. He used to think he'd never find a woman who would put up with his shit, let alone find a woman who could handle him as well as Mac did. He was the first one to admit he was lucky.

As Mac took their plates to the kitchen, she saw Dick pick up the picture and study it. He smiled slightly, remembering that day. She quickly returned to the dining room. The first picture was a group shot taken at Dog Beach the end of their freshman year at Hearst.

"Remember the Sea Monkey?"

"What? Oh yeah, Wallace's mechanical plane. I also remember that could have been our first kiss."

"No, no it couldn't have been. You were a Dick to me. Really earned your name there."

"I apologized that day, if I recall."

"First time that ever happened."

"So why this picture? Why the stroll down memory lane?"

"This picture was the turning point of our relationship. Don't you agree? And I thought maybe we could have a scavenger hunt, a little photo tour of our marriage. Veronica mentioned marriages are made up of little snapshots and I thought that would make a fun little way to cap off our anniversary celebration."

"Does this little hunt end up with you naked?"

"It can."

"Alright, well, I already like the ending. Let's do it."

"Read your clue. Figure it out."

Dick turned the photo over and read the sticky note. "Roses are red. How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"Are you going to play, or just critique my lack of writing skills?"

"Both? Okay, well, apples are kept in the kitchen."

"Sounds like a good place to start to me. Lead the way."

Dick headed into the kitchen and went straight towards the fruit bowl on the island. Buried under a couple Fuji apples was a picture. He unearthed it and smiled softly when he saw the subject matter. He and Mackie were overdressed standing in front of this ramshackle little Mexican restaurant he'd found near San Diego that had an extensive vegan menu. It was taken fall of sophomore year of college, and they were on their first official date. Though really looking back, they were probably dating well before that, but it marked the first time they labeled what they were as more than just buddies who liked to kiss each other. Funny, but he never did feel that way with his other close friends, not that he ever kissed them of course. Mac had always been different, special. He sensed that even when he used to tease her. Maybe especially when he was teasing her.

Mac came up behind him as he looked at the picture, remembering.

"Best first date EVER," she whispered in his ear.

"I did pretty good, didn't I?"

Instead of answering, she kissed him.

Dick turned over the photo and read the next clue. "We used to be friends?"

She could almost see the wheels turning in his brain as he worked out the clue. It wasn't long before he was heading towards the family room where the iPod dock was. He lifted it up and revealed a picture of Mac sitting in front of her parent's camper, her leg propped up on another chair. Dick was leaning down rubbing her shoulder as he whispered something in her ear.

"Aw, my first ever Mackenzie Biannual Rite of Torture."

"And the standard to which all others were judged."

"Well, since that was such a rock bottom trip, the others were by comparison awesome."

"Only if by awesome you mean slightly less torturous."

The week after their first date Dick joined Mac and her family on one of their twice yearly weekend camping trips. Not being a fan of camping in particular and the great outdoors in general, Mac did not enjoy the trips as much as the rest of her family. Dick, on the other hand, loved nature, and hiking, and spending as much time with Mac as possible so it was an invitation he could not refuse. On paper, it should have been a wonderful trip, but the reality did not meet expectations.

While bonding with Mac's kid brother Ryan, Dick mentioned his own younger brother who had recently died. Ryan hadn't made the connection between the guy Mac used to date who killed himself and Dick's younger brother who died. He got really upset when he found out Dick was Cassidy's brother. Then Dick got depressed and mad, reliving everything with Cassidy, and all the guilt he felt. He went off on a hike by himself and Mac, feeling concerned, tried following him. Unfortunately, she fell aggravating a prior knee injury. Dick found her about 20 minutes later, and ended up carrying her all the way back to the campsite. He told her later that his back was sore for 2 days. Of course she still one upped him, as she was on crutches for 3 weeks.

"Do you remember what I whispered in your ear?" Dick said, interrupting Mac's reveries.

"That you finally understood why I call it the biannual rite of torture. Except, as usual, you filled that innocent sentence with tons of that signature Casablancas innuendo."

"You love my sense of romance."

"Whatever."

Dick turned the picture over for his next clue. _**You are my angel, complete with this Angelic accessory.**_

He went right over to their gaming system, sorted through the games until he found _Halo 3_. Turning it over, there was another picture taped to the back.

"On the first guess. Good boy!"

"Can I get a cookie?" Dick unstuck the picture and studied it a minute. A big smile crossed his face. "The epic spring break road trip."

Spring break of their sophomore year at Hearst she and Dick took a road trip with Logan and Veronica. Somewhere during that trip Logan had started calling them the new Fab Four, an hommage to what everyone called Veronica, Lilly Kane, Duncan Kane, and himself back in junior high up to their sophomore year at Neptune High. Thinking of that trip brought back some tough memories for Dick, but he refused to dwell on that part.

This particular photo was taken before all the drama that ensued later on during the trip. It was a group shot of the Fab Four in front of this seedy motel they stayed at the previous night. Though he and Logan could easily afford a luxury hotel when they saw the sign for this place it was a no brainer, The White House Inn. Mac said it was a sign, anyone named Casablancas had to stay in the White House Inn. What exactly it was a sign of though, even to this day Dick had no idea. The motel reminded him of the movie _Psycho_. But it had ended up being a fun overnight stay. The next morning before they hit the road again, Ronnie found another guest to take a group shot of them in front of the sign. Dick did his best Vanna White imitation, pointing to the sign while maintaining an over the top pose. Logan was laughing at him, while Ronnie rolled her eyes and Mackie joined in with her own Vanna impression.

Dick turned the picture over for his next clue. _**Like the subject matter of the next photo, my love is always in bloom.**_

He tried, and failed, to hide his grin. "If MC2 Software ever goes bankrupt, there's a future for you in the greeting card industry."

Mac smirked as she punched him hard on his arm.

Dick went out the front door and around to the side of the house where Mac had planted several sun flowers. She wasn't much for horticulture, but she had always loved giant sunflowers. Though it was dark now, from the faint light of the neighbor's flood lights Dick could see something lying among the giant flower stalks. He bent down to retrieve it, but it was too dark to make out the image.

Once inside he saw the picture was a professional shot of Mac catching the bouquet at Logan and Ronnie's wedding almost 6 years ago. No one had any doubt that the whole thing was a set up. A not so subtle nudge to get Dick to move his ass and get Macster to the alter already. Of course the gleam in the eyes of one Mrs. Veronica Mars Echolls as she purposely aimed the bouquet towards her maid of honor was a major hint. And a few minutes later he was in possession of Ronnie's garter belt, beamed directly at him by Logan. Again, nothing subtle there.

Dick read the clue on the back of the picture and figured it was guiding him to the first floor powder room. He found the next photo buried in an old issue of _Wired _magazine which was placed haphazardly in a wicker basket by the toilet. He and Mac were locked in a passionate embrace, her left hand was posed so it was resting on his cheek, prominently showcasing the large oval Sapphire and white gold engagement ring Dick had commissioned just for her. Flanking either side of the large stone were two Celtic knots symbolizing their everlasting love.

Veronica, herself only married for a couple of months by then, took the engagement pictures. Even Dick had to admit the pixie spy had skills in the photographic arts, honed no doubt from years of taking pictures on the sly of cheating spouses and other nefarious characters. A much larger version of this picture was hanging in their living room. It was one of his favorite pictures of his Mackie.

Dick's mind wandered back to when he proposed to Mac. He wanted something unique but not flashy, like Mac herself. One night he was drinking with Logan at the bar in the Neptune Grand, discussing Logan's own recent foray in marriage. Trying to sound like a man of wisdom and experience, Logan then shifted the conversation towards Dick and Mac's relationship. He asked him when he was going to get off his ass and propose already. They started discussing proposal ideas, and Logan even told him to feel free to steal his own Karaoke proposal, but Dick didn't think that would work as well on Macster. As the night wore on Logan's ideas started getting crazier and more outlandish. A billboard on the PCH would not be the key to Mac's heart. But that did give Dick an idea.

_*****Flashback—Dick & Mac's apartment, 5 ½ years ago*****_

_Dick was on sitting on the large aubergine sofa in their cozy living room, his feet propped up on the coffee table. He was reading a book, an actual book. Well, an actual eBook as he was using Mac's Kindle. Having long since graduated from college, it wasn't for an assignment or anything like that. He was reading for fun. Mac had finally talked him into reading __**The Catcher in the Rye **__and it was actually pretty good. He would laugh out loud periodically at something Holden Caulfield was saying, or thinking, or doing. That was one messed up fictional dude, Dick thought, but he couldn't disagree with a lot of what the narrator said or did. _

_Though Holden was a good diversion, an entertaining way to pass some time, Dick was actually waiting rather patiently for his plan to take effect. At least, as patiently as he was capable of. And when it came to one Miss Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie, well he had unlimited patience. _

_Macster was on her laptop, doing some Q-type work for Neptune's favorite pixie spy PI, Ronnie. It was actually all part of Dick's plan, and Ronnie was more than happy to play a part in it.  
_

"_So, how are you liking Holden?" Mac said._

"_Oh, yeah, the book. It's pretty good, actually."_

"_Holden is pretty disenfranchised. Definitely more of an anti-hero, but I've always loved that book."_

"_Yeah, you read my mind there, Macster."_

"_I'll bet. But I heard you laughing quite a bit."_

"_He's a funny dude_."

"_That's just what my English teacher used to say."_

"_Well, don't let me disturb your concentration. I know Ronnie has you doing a lot of techie stuff for her latest case. And well, I don't want to piss off the pixie spy. Little Dick does not want to bring on the wrath of Mr. Sparky."_

_Mac just laughed and focused her attention back to the computer. A few minutes later she shook her head, looked briefly at Dick and back at the screen on her lap. She tapped a few more keys, screwed her face up in concentration, sighed, then looked back at Dick._

"_What?" Dick asked dragging his attention out of the book._

"_I'm not sure yet." Mac looked briefly at Dick and then back to her screen. She shook her head again. For several minutes no one spoke, the only sound was Mac tapping on the keyboard and Dick tapping the eReader screen to turn the pages. _

"_Dick, um, something hinky is going on," Mac said cutting the silence. "I'm um digging into some financials for Bond, and well...I'm not accusing you of anything, please know that. It must be someone else in your company. Brad, maybe. I never trusted him. Anyway, everything I've tried the past several minutes keeps coming back to Casablancas Real Estate Holdings."_

"_What do you mean everything keeps coming back to my company?"_

"_It just does. Why I don't know. I just follow the trail wherever it takes me. V interprets it."_

"_Oh great. Ronnie would just love to think the worst of me. She'll bring my company down so fast."_

_"She doesn't have to know everything I found. I can keep it hidden for a few days, just until we figure out who is screwing you over. Or I could convince V it's not you. She trusts me, she'll believe me. We'll get to the bottom of this."_

_Dick tried not to smile at that. "Mac, stop. I didn't do anything wrong. V isn't going to take me down. I'm not going to lose the company. Just go to my website, check it out. You'll see, everything is on the up and up. Thanks for your faith in me though."_

_Mac clicked on what she thought was he link to Casablancas Real Estate Holdings. Instead she was taken to a dummy website which was streaming Adele's "Make me feel your love." The text read: Casablancas Real Estate Holdings would like to file a motion to merge with MC2 Software. Then the image switched to a montage of pictures of him and Mac. The group shot at Dog Beach. The two of them in San Diego in front of the Symphony Hall. Several shots of them at the Hearst College campus. One of them with their arms around each other, tossing their caps at graduation. And one of his favorites, Mac and Ronnie playing Halo. Dick loved her warrior stance when she was concentrating on the game, her posture slightly hunched, her face taking on a fierce look as she prepared for virtual battle. _

_Dick enjoyed watching Mac's face as she watched the images on the website. Her eyes got wide. Then narrowed. She smiled at some images flashing by, frowned at others. She bit her lip and looked over at Dick, a little confused about whether this was actually going to lead to what she was starting to suspect. Her question was quickly answered though when flashing on the screen were the words:_

_**Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?!**_

"_Yes, yes, YES." Mac said in increasing volume. The computer was once again tossed aside as Mac climbed onto Dick's lap. She then placed the eReader off to the side. His face met hers and they kissed slowly and sweetly. Finally, reluctantly Dick pulled away so he could dig into his pocket to find the ring. He put it on Mac's left finger._

"_I think I was supposed to get out the ring first, then ask you to marry me."_

"_Well, we never did do things in the right order anyway. Why start now?"_

"_Good point, future Mrs. Dick Casablancas."_

_Mac looked down at the ring. "Oh Dick, it's gorgeous. And not a conflict diamond either."_

"_I thought this would be more your style."_

_"It is, it really is." She loved the deep blue color of the sapphire. Dick thought it matched her eyes perfectly._"_So, this was all a set up wasn't it? Something you cooked up with V?"_

"_Yes, it was. And it obviously worked, Mrs. C."_

_***__**End of flashback**__***_

"Hey, come back to me," Mac said waving her hand in front of Dick's face. "You're a zillion miles away."

"Just thinking about when I proposed."

"I really can't think of any other couple who got engaged via a website."

"Well, with you and your computer mojo I thought it was rather apropos."

"True! Apropos, huh? Reading the dictionary again?"

"Ha ha ha, Mrs. C. Ha ha ha."

Dick turned the photo over to see the next clue. _**A Fast car to get us to the chapel in time. **_Dick headed towards the door to the garage to find the next picture.

**TBC...**

**_I decided to end the chapter here so these first few pictures were about their relationship up to their engagement. Part 2 will focus on the wedding and married life, plus the baby gender reveal. Thanks for reading. Please review. Concrit is always welcome. _  
**


	2. Chapter 2--The Big Reveal

_**A/N: And here is the final part of the story. Thank you for reading it. And thank you for the reviews, favorites &/or alerts. Enjoy...**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own a thing. Rob Thomas owns all Veronica Mars related content. I also don't own the song I quoted in here, Make you feel my Love. Beautiful song. I referenced the Adele cover, but it was originally written by Bob Dylan. If you've never heard it, I recommend listening to it.**_

**Chapter 2—The big reveal**

Nestled in the center consul by the gear shift of Mac's black Porsche Cayenne SUV was the next photo in the pictorial scavenger hunt. Dick retrieved it carefully and shut the car door. They had just bought the SUV a few weeks ago, in preparation for the baby. They'd considered getting a minivan, but that really wasn't Mac's style. So this was the compromise. And really it wasn't a compromise at all.

From the harsh glare of the overhead fluorescent lights of the garage he saw it was a picture of them on their wedding night. It was taken during the reception when they were having their first dance as a married couple.

Dick went back into the house where Mac was waiting for him. He showed her the picture he'd just removed from her car. They both looked down at it, smiling slightly as they remembered their wedding.

After several long discussions—fights—they finally agreed on a venue. Mac had just wanted to elope, get it over with. It was Dick who insisted on having a wedding. He didn't need, or want, a big wedding, he didn't have any family left and there were just a few people he considered friends, but he wanted it for Mackie. He just didn't buy that she never ever dreamed of a white wedding someday, despite her insistence that she was born without the "girly girl gene." But also, if he was being honest, he might not love weddings but he always loved a good reception. Any excuse to party.

In the end Dick won out, and they got married at the Neptune Grand, a fitting venue in both their minds. It was not a big wedding or anything, especially by Neptune 09er standards, but they still had over 100 people in attendance. Naturally Veronica was Mac's matron of honor and Logan was the best man. Veronica, by then, was pregnant with her first child, but hadn't yet begun to show.

Dick remembered his heart seemingly stood still when he saw Mac at the top of the aisle, her mom on one arm and her dad on the other. He had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life. She was wearing a floor length ivory satin dress with spaghetti straps. In reality it was more like a cocktail dress than a traditional wedding gown, but very elegant. In other words, the perfect dress for his Mackie. She had quit dying those signature streaks of purple, red or blue in her hair by her senior year at Hearst. However, not one to commit fully to convention, she did regularly sport a streak of platinum blond in her otherwise black hair. Her wedding day was no exception.

As Mac slowly walked down aisle of the Neptune Grand's chapel, Dick couldn't keep his eyes off his bride. She caught his eye, and smiled that little half-smile she did when she was nervous. For some reason, at that exact moment, every bit of nervousness he had been feeling previously just dissipated.

Mac was almost at the alter when Dick happened to briefly look up and saw the chapel door creak open. He watched as Mrs. Sinclair entered the room. She stood right by the door, her back against the wall as though she were trying to blend in with the decor. He knew Mac didn't invite her, but since the Sinclairs had connections everywhere and his parents had run in the same social circles as the Sinclairs, he wasn't at all surprised word of the wedding had reached her. Dick discretely nodded at her, both in acknowledgment of who she was to Mac and why she was there. He knew it definitely wasn't to support him, even though he had dated Madison back in high school. Dick noticed that Mrs. Sinclair gave him the exact same tight half-smile he had just seen on Mac.

Mac joining him at the alter squeezed all other thoughts, including Mrs. Sinclair, out of his mind.

The Mackenzies _gave_ Mac away and the ceremony began. Dick only stumbled once, and that was during the ring exchange when he accidentally said "with this wing" instead of ring. Mac gave him a big smile and squeezed his hand. Everyone else in attendance laughed.

It was only afterward when he and Mac were officially Mr. and Mrs. Casablancas and they'd kissed that Dick remembered Mrs. Sinclair. He looked over at the spot she'd been but no one was there now. He made a mental note to tell Mackie later, she needed to know, but not right now. First they had to pose for like a thousand pictures for the photographer. Then they had a reception to attend. And when Dick threw a party an open bar was always part of the package.

Mac didn't think she'd enjoy her own reception, but was pleasantly surprised to find that she did. Every bride she'd ever talked to—Veronica, Alicia Fennel Mars, Parker Lee Piznarski, her own mom—said basically the same thing, everyone but the bride had fun at the reception. The dinner was delicious, it was a sit down dinner with a variety of vegan and carnivore entrée options. And of course the Cabernet Sauvignon that the waiter kept pouring in her glass as though it were water helped make it a fun night, too.

For the traditional first dance the DJ played Adele's _Make you feel my Love._ That song had become meaningful to them both since it was the song that played on the dummy website Dick had set up to propose to Mac six months before.

_When the rain is blowing in your face,  
And the whole world is on your case,  
I could offer you a warm embrace  
To make you feel my love. _

_When the evening shadows and the stars appear,  
And there is no one there to dry your tears,  
I could hold you for a million years  
To make you feel my love._

They swayed slowly to the music, just enjoying being close to the other. Neither Dick nor Mac were good dancers and they didn't try to pretend otherwise.

_I know you haven't made your mind up yet,  
But I would never do you wrong.  
I've known it from the moment that we met,  
No doubt in my mind where you belong. _

_I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue,  
I'd go crawling down the avenue.  
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do  
To make you feel my love._

The photographer they'd hired upon Ronnie and Logan's recommendation was circling them, taking candid shots of them dancing.

_The storms are raging on the rolling sea  
And on the highway of regret.  
Though winds of change are blowing wild and free,  
You ain't seen nothing like me yet._

_I could make you happy, make your dreams come true.  
Nothing that I wouldn't do.  
Go to the ends of the Earth for you,  
To make you feel my love  
To make you feel my love _

They kissed when the song was over.

The DJ switched up the vibe after that playing more uptempo, but decidedly less romantic songs. By now the dance floor was filling up.

As _We used to be Friends_ by the Dandy Warhols played Dick and Mac were dancing side by side with Logan and V. Suddenly, V clapped a hand over her mouth and mumbled something about going to the restroom.

"Was it something I said," Dick deadpanned as Mac exchanged a knowing look with Logan.

"So I guess the term morning sickness is a misnomer?"

Logan had replied, "try all day sickness."

Veronica had returned shortly after that trying to downplay how queasy she still felt.

It wasn't until after they'd left the reception though and were upstairs in the Neptune Grand penthouse suite (the same one he once lived in) that Dick thought about Mrs. Sinclair again. But once again the moment didn't seem right to mention it to Mac. They had another matter to take care of first. Married sex!

It wasn't until they were on their honeymoon that Dick finally told Mac about Mrs. Sinclair. He wasn't sure exactly why he waited so long. In a way it was probably a good thing, it showed that she cared about Mac at least. Hell, she had 2 moms who loved her, he didn't even have 1. His own mom couldn't be bothered to attend his wedding. Not that he was bitter, he told himself. Well, even he didn't buy that, hell yes he was fucking bitter. But Mac didn't have to be. She could be a part of 3 families now.

Mac had been nervous at first about the honeymoon. Well, not the sex part, she and Dick had been intimate with each other since the very beginning of their courtship. What an old fashion word, Mac loved it though, courtship. But no, she was nervous about the fact that the job of planning the honeymoon had fallen entirely to Dick. In fact it wasn't until they were about to leave for the airport the day after the wedding that she found out they were going to Costa Rica. She had to admit she was impressed, Dick had done a lot of planning and had come up with a fun, romantic, adventurous destination.

They spent the first 3 days in the town of Monteverde, hiking the Cloud Forest, taking a canopy tour of the rain forest, and finally the Serpenterium. She loved the Spiny Green Lizard and the Ground Anole, but the Fer-de-Lance viper snake was a thing of nightmares. After fully exploring Monteverde, they moved on to a luxury resort in the Tamarindo-Flamingo-Conchal beach region. It was well-known for surfing, of course. Mac just enjoyed lazing around on the beach, getting some more reading done as her husband caught a few waves. Husband. Mac loved the way that sounded.

They were on the beach when Dick finally decided to tell Mac. He'd just spent the past couple hours surfing, and was feeling calm and relaxed. He quickly dried off and sat down on the beach blanket next to Mac. He took the Kindle out of her hand and laid it down. Dick told her about looking up during the ceremony and seeing Mrs. Sinclair sneak in the back. Mac just looked at him when he finished telling her, not saying anything at first. Then she just said "okay," and changed the subject. Dick decided not to press her. Maybe he was making a bigger deal about it than it really was.

"Five years to the day. Can you believe that?" Mac asked, bringing Dick out of his reverie and into the present.

"Not really. Makes me wonder what the next 5 years will bring."

"We won't have time to dwell on that. Too busy chasing this little one around. Hurry up, find the other pictures so we can find out what this little one is."

Dick grinned and placed a hand on her tummy. "I don't need a stinking ultrasound to tell you what the baby is. It's a boy! Casablancas swimmers always produce boys."

"Well, I say its a girl." Mac gestured to the picture in Dick's hand. "Turn it over. Get the next clue already."

Dick read it and smirked. "Again, I see a real future for you writing ad copy."

"Alright, I get it smart ass. Not my best work."

_**Close your eyes, and make a wish!**_

Following this clue took Dick a little longer. After looking in several wrong places, he finally ended up outside on their patio. He could hear the roar of the surf. The ocean which was practically in their backyard. He took a deep breath of the salt tinged air as he bent down to search for the picture. Nestled between a couple paver stones leading to the Koi pond was the 8th picture. Dick scooped it up and brought it into the kitchen. He sat down on one of the chairs to really look at it. At the time it was taken he and Mac had only been married for a couple of weeks.

Mac took the chair beside him, watching Dick's face as he studied the photo before him.

"You seem surprised that I included this one."

"A little I guess. I really thought I'd fucked up at first."

"No. You were right to do it. I was a little pissed though."

"A little? Ronnie has been a bad influence on you, I keep saying that. No one listens to me though. She's got you down right freaky when you're mad."

"Well, though you were right in the end. And there's a first time for everything. You did overstep your bounds a little bit."

"No, I don't think I did. You and I are married. Your past is my fucking business. And mine is yours, Macster."

After their talk on the beach during their honeymoon, Mackie didn't really say anything about Mrs. Sinclair. And that bugged the shit out of Dick. She shot down every attempt he made to get her to talk about it. Shit, she was the girl, not him. She was supposed to be crying on his shoulder. Well, not crying, but still something other than oh okay. And it all circled back to his desire to have his mom care about him. Actually want to be a part of his life. Not to make this whole fucked up Sinclair baby switching case about it him. It wasn't. But now it kind of was. Or it involved him at least. They were married now, and he wanted the Sinclairs to know what they were missing. He knew both Madison and Mac very well and it was obvious that the Mackenzies had come out the winner in that deal.

So after they got back home and had just started adjusting to life as a married couple Dick decided that dinner parties were a good married couple activity. So on a Wednesday night he told her he'd invited another couple over for dinner that Friday. He just skirted the question a bit when she asked who it was, he said just old friends of the family. Technically that was true. His parents had been friends, or at least friendly with Madison Sinclair's parents.

Mrs. Sinclair was surprised when Dick called her to invite her to dinner. She wasn't sure how to explain things to her husband, Bob, he didn't know that Mac knew the truth. In the end she didn't tell him, and it didn't matter, he had a business meeting anyway. So she went to Mac and Dick's apartment alone that Friday night.

Mac was in the galley kitchen of their apartment when the buzzer rang. Dick got the door while she busied herself with removing dinner from the oven. She didn't like meeting new people, she wasn't the people person Dick was, but these guests—whoever they were—seemed important to Dick so she couldn't say no. She heard a woman's voice, but couldn't make out what was said. She plated up the bean dip and crackers appetizer and went out into the living room where the mystery guest was already seated.

If Dick hadn't suddenly appeared by her side Mac was pretty sure she would have dropped the serving plate. The guest was Mrs. Sinclair. Her birth mom. She mumbled something that resembled hello, dropped the plate of crackers and dip on the coffee table and went back into the kitchen. She could feel her face heating up, she hated how easily she blushed even now as an adult. She braced her arms on the counter and took several deep breaths. She heard Dick enter the kitchen.

"What the hell?" She shouted not even turning around to look at him. "How could you fucking blindside me like this?"

"I thought you both needed to get to know each other."

"You know, I'm not mad at that so much as the fact you arranged this without consulting me. I did all the work and did not know the little detail of, oh yeah, who the hell I was cooking for. The woman who did not even want me."

"Mac, this is hardly a big place. She can hear you."

"So?"

"It's rude. She's our guest."

"No. She's your guest."

Dick tried to hug Mac but she ducked his embrace. He sighed then grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge, emptied it in a glass, put a few ice cubes in it and went back into the living room to give Mrs. Sinclair her drink.

Mac stayed in kitchen for a couple more minutes trying to calm herself. Taking one more deep breath, she went back out to Dick and Mrs. Sinclair. Mac was actually a little surprised Mrs. Sinclair was still there, as she hadn't exactly been the most welcoming hostess.

Mac apologized for her behavior, and once again felt her face heating up. She stammered out the apology really, she couldn't even look at Mrs. Sinclair at first. Then after a couple of minutes of listening to Dick ramble on about something or other just to cover up the awkwardness and put Mrs. Sinclair a little more at ease, Mac calmed down. She decided to speak her mind, and see what came out of the evening.

"You know what," Mac began, leaping into the first pause in Dick's monologue that she could. "My parents raised me better than this. I'm sorry I was rude, Mrs. Sinclair. You probably figured out by now I was not expecting you. But that is no excuse."

"Call me Alice. And yes, I did figure out you weren't expecting me. I can see how that would be a shock. I'd like to stay though, only if that's okay with you. If not, I understand."

Mac nodded her assent, so Alice Sinclair did end up staying for dinner. At first things were stilted, but then everyone got more comfortable and even Mac admitted it was nice to get to know the woman who gave birth to her. She got a little upset though when Alice mentioned Lauren. That was still a sensitive subject with her. At the end Alice got out her camera and asked Dick to take a picture of her with Mac. Alice was still seated at the table, the remains of her half-eaten dinner still in front of her. Mac came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Alice. It felt weird, but also a little like coming home. Dick smiled as he took the picture. Not long after that Alice thanked them for dinner and left.

A week later a copy of the picture and a thank you note arrived in the mail.

It was that picture of Mac and Alice that Dick was holding in his hand for the scavenger hunt.

"Why did you pick this one?"

"Well, I think this was a turning point for us, too. And also, spending time with Alice made it possible for me to come clean with Mom and Dad. I think it brought me closer to them. They raised me, they knew the truth and still chose me. So why your idea of going behind my back was immature, you weren't entirely wrong. And this was definitely one of those thousands of moments that make up a marriage that V was talking about."

"It all comes back to the pixie spy."

"No, not this time. It all comes back to you and me. Now, hurry up. Look at the next clue. I love that photo."

The note on the back of the picture read: _**Building a life is like playing with blocks**_

"Confucius says."

"Been reading Wikipedia again?"

"Funny Macster. Funny."

"True, Dickster, true."

"This was really a gimme clue." Dick said over his shoulder as he went upstairs to the nursery.

Under a package of unopened blocks was picture #9. Dick laughed. It was him in front of a squat office building with a sign that read "Office Space for Lease. Call Casablancas Real Estate Holdings" and there was his 800 #. That building, Venus Plaza, was his first big acquisition. The picture was taken when the building had reached the 95% occupied mark. He had been having lunch with Mackie and happened to mention how well things were going at work, especially the Venus project as he called it. She joked about Venus in Neptune, and how she wished Keith or Veronica needed to be there for a planet trifecta. Dick snarked back that the whole freaking town was inhabited by aliens as far as he was concerned.

As Dick was driving Mac back to her office they passed Venus Plaza. She insisted that they stop so she could get a picture of him in front of the building.

"This picture is one for the scrapbook," Mac had said as looked at the digital photo she'd just snapped.

"You know, there is one large suite of offices that aren't leased yet. It's 10,000 square feet. I was thinking it would be perfect for a start up software company. Do any of your competitors need new office space?" Dick said it as casually as possible.

Mac just gave a non-committal "hmmm," and changed the subject. But Dick could tell she was thinking about it.  
He deliberately mentioned her competitors as possible tenants instead of her company to plant the seed in her mind, get her thinking about MC2's own need for bigger space. Mackie could deny it all she wanted but she was definitely the competitive type.

Being a salesman he wasn't usually one to back down, but he decided not to pressure her. It was enough that he got her thinking about expanding. Two years ago Mac had rented a tiny office condo and she was fast outgrowing the space. Business had more than tripled and her staff of 12 was severely overextended.

Dick brought himself out of that memory and turned the picture in his hand over so he could see the next clue. It read: _**You hold the key **_

Dick first thought it was in reference to the car keys or the house key so he went to key rack hanging by the garage door. Nothing. Finally he thought maybe it was computer related. He went into the study and found a picture laying on top of the keyboard.

"Gotta love geek humor," Dick said to Mac as she joined him in the study.

"Love me, love my geekdom."

"Not just a geek, Mackie, you're a 12th level dork."

"Aw, I'm blushing from all this sweet talk. That was your pet name for me in high school if I recall."

"Let's call it foreplay."

"If you don't finish playing my little game, you won't get any play at all."

"Yeah, as if. You can't stay away from my prime real estate and you know it. We have proof of that." Dick pointed to her growing belly as if she didn't get his innuendo.

Mac rolled her eyes and pointed to the picture in his hand.

Dick looked down at the photo. Mac was posing by the door to her new office. She was proudly pointing to the sign that read MC2 Software. The prime piece of real estate was located in Venus Plaza owned by Casablancas Real Estate Holdings. He was doubly happy with that deal. His building was now 100% occupied, which was a big coup in the still struggling economy. But better than that, his newest tenant was his wife's growing software company. He was so proud of her. She built it from the ground up. She'd created tracking software that was virtually untraceable. She had a lot of top secret government contracts, of course he didn't know anything else about that though. If he was being honest, he didn't really know much of anything about what she did. But he had a strong feeling that in the next 10 years or so Kane Software wouldn't be the only billion dollar software company in Neptune.

"Aw, my favorite tenant. MC2 Software. You guys always pay your rent on time."

"Well, it turns out our landlord knows where I live."

"I actually have another property we just purchased, it's about 5 times as big as your current offices. I think you might want to think about relocating again. Maybe even purchasing the new location. I can broker you a good deal."

"Hey, none of this shop talk. It's our anniversary. Hell, we all know I've been a workaholic since birth, but I never thought I'd see the day that party til he upchucks Dick Casablancas would try to sell his own wife office space during their anniversary celebration. Am I hallucinating?"

"Well, with a baby on the way, I've decided to wear my big boy pants. Anyway, I was just thinking since the 3 years you've been in the current space you've continued to expand, and with this latest hiring jag you've been on, well it won't be long til you need your own building. We can talk about this later."

"Much later. Turn the picture over."

Dick mock saluted and did just what Mackie ordered. The clue read: _**Double double toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble.**_

"Now that clue is actually really well written."

"It's Shakespeare, dork."

"Uh duh. I totally knew that. So, now you're plagiarizing dead guys?"

"Somehow I don't think he'll mind."

Dick checked the laundry first, though Mac had no idea why. Then the kitchen, especially all the stock pots. That made more sense to her. But still no picture. Finally about 10 minutes later he checked the fireplace. It was mostly decorative in Mac's opinion. Their southern California hamlet didn't have a lot of frigid fire-worthy winter nights. But it did make a nice focal point for the family room.

Propped up against the mantle was the 11th picture. Mac's parents had taken a picture of them in front of the Sale Pending sign. It was taken a year and a half ago, and after house hunting for over 6 months they had finally agreed on a house. This house. Dick knew it was the perfect one for them the minute he saw it. Mac, however, took some more convincing.

It was a white washed stucco house in the Spanish mission style. Although it was over 6,000 square feet, it was quite a bit smaller than the palatial house Dick had grown up in. For Mac, however, she estimated that she could fit her childhood house inside 3 times with room to spare. Other than Dick's constant sales pitches, always at the strangest times, it was the balcony outside the master bedroom with its million dollar ocean view that sold her. And the tales that balcony could tell. She felt herself getting turned on just remembering the first night in their new house, she and Dick christened the balcony.

On the back of the photo, in Mac's familiar scrawl was: _**Praying to this God more times than I could count, but all for a good cause.**_

While Shakespeare evidently stumped him, that clue took Dick no time at all to interpret. He ran upstairs and went directly to their master bath. Of course with all the partying Dick did in his youth, and even today, the porcelain God was one Deity he worshiped a lot.

Sitting on top of the closed toilet lid was a picture of Dick holding a positive pregnancy test in one hand and pumping his fist in triumph in the other. Mac had been nervous at first, she didn't think Dick would be excited about being a dad. It wasn't exactly that she thought he didn't want to be a dad, but with his screwed up childhood and residual guilt about Cassidy she thought he'd be scared at first. Plus, though they were definitely not preventing, they weren't trying to have a baby either. It didn't take Mac's genius IQ though to know what being 2 weeks late most likely meant though. Like everything else about her, she could almost set a watch to her period. It was so regular she could program it in her blackberry.

Bracing herself for a less than enthusiastic response, Mac tentatively said to Dick one morning, "well looks like I'll be trading my 911 for a minivan."

"What? The Porsche? The only car you ever loved more than the beetle? Who are you? What did you do with my Mackie?"

Instead of answering she showed him the piss stick and the tell-tale plus sign.

"My boys can swim! I knew it."

His grin was so adorable, Mac just had to take his picture. She ran to grab her cell, and snapped a couple photos.

On the back of the picture of Dick with the positive test was the final clue in the hunt. _**Where we first wrote the new chapter of our lives.**_

Dick tapped his index finger on his chin in an over-exaggerated thinking pose, then with a sly grin he went back into their bedroom. Sitting on their massive king sized bed was the bright yellow envelope from the Ultrasound appointment 3 weeks ago.

In unspoken agreement they began to open the sealed envelope together. Once opened, Dick removed the ultrasound picture. Even without a degree in Sonography, the outline of a penis was easy to spot thanks to the clear imagery of 3D ultrasounds. But just in case they could not have figured it out on their own, the tech had also written _It's a BOY_ on the back.

"I told you so," Dick couldn't help saying as he hugged Mac. She had tears pooling in her eyes.

"Damn hormones," she muttered, wiping the tears. "A little boy. Awww. How about Richard Casablancas the 3rd? We'll call him Trey."

"Oh, I like Trey. I like that a lot. But I was thinking maybe of stopping the trend at me."

"Why?"

"Why would you have to ask why? Dick Senior ended up being a joke. Hell, the whole Casablancas name is a joke around Neptune."

"Not you. You are not a joke. This baby would be named after you. Not your dad."

"And we'll call him Trey?"

"Yes, if that's what you want. Trey Casablancas."

"Alright, Mackie. Trey it is. If he had been a girl, I was going to say Cindy."

"No way. No baby that comes out of me will be named Cindy."

"Why not? Cindy Junior. I like that. Maybe number 2."

"You're a little ahead of yourself there, Dickie." Mac grabbed the nearest pillow off the bed and whumped him with it.

"Easy there, Cindy. Pregnant women wielding pillows scare me." He ducked out of the way, and wrested the pillow out of her hands. He laughed at her mock glare when he called her by her given name.

Once the hunt was finished and the baby's name was decided, they decided to exchange gifts. Mac went into her oversized walk in closet to retrieve Dick's gift. By unspoken agreement they didn't buy each other expensive gifts for birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries. Just little remembrances really.

Dick eagerly opened the brightly wrapped box Mac handed him. He laughed when he read the front of the green tee shirt. _**The Impregnator.**_

"I love it, Mackie. You should see what I got you." Dick reached under the bed to grab a plastic shopping bag he'd taped closed. He handed it to her.

"Great job with the wrapping as always." She smirked. Mac opened the bag and pulled out a big black maternity tee shirt. _**The Force Is Strong With This One.**_ "You got me a tee shirt too. I love it. Great minds think alike. Though is it me rubbing off on you? Or are you rubbing off on me?"

"Both. I enjoyed the hunt, Macster. We should do this every year."

"I'll let you have the honors next time."

Dick leaned in and kissed her, demonstrating just how much he appreciated all the effort she put into everything she did for him. Mac eagerly reciprocated. But as Dick was starting to remove her shirt, she pulled back slightly.

"I was thinking let's have dessert." She replied rather breathlessly.

"Good idea," Dick whispered in her ear, going back to the previous activity.

Mac pressed up against him as he wrapped his arms around her. She dug into his blond hair that she loved so much, playfully tugging it. He removed one of his arms from around her waist and snaked it up her shirt, gently exploring her tender nipples as she moaned softly in response. Dick shifted so he could lie down on the bed, keeping Mac locked in his arms so she ended up on top of him. They continued kissing and exploring each others' bodies. When he again made a move to remove her clothing, she let him, and then reached over to tug Dick's pants off.

She removed one hand from his gorgeous hair and started caressing his erect penis. He groaned. Mac was still on top, straddling him. They returned to kissing. Mac reached down to stroke Dick's penis a couple of times before arching herself in preparation. He groaned loudly as he entered her, she moaned in response before biting his neck.

She rocked back and forth, leaning over to nip him again. A few minutes later she let out a loud moan and he could feel her shake. He came just after her.

"Okay, that was fantastic. See, that's the real reason I married you. Your skills in the sexual arts. But when I said let's have dessert, I was actually referring to the cheesecake I made."

"Oh. I actually liked this dessert better. But cheesecake is a close 2nd. We can have it now. In bed. Dessert after dessert."

"Good idea." Mac said. She waited for Dick to get out of bed. When that didn't happen, she shoved him gently. "Well?"

"What?"

"The dessert. You're going to bring me cheesecake in bed."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Now go. I'm craving cheesecake."

"Oh, cravings huh? Listen to you, getting out the big guns." Dick smirked. But he quickly threw on his new tee shirt and went down to the kitchen to get the vegan cheesecake his wife had made. He just grabbed the whole dish and a couple of forks. Mac grinned when he came in with the pie. There was no one else he could imagine sitting in bed with, together demolishing a cheesecake.

It was just another one of those little snapshots that made up their wonderful marriage.

_**The end...  
**_

**_One final review? Please. Thank you. _  
**


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